How Long Can You Leave Your Puppy Home-Alone?

A new puppy is going to require a lot of changes. Like a baby, a new puppy has to be consistently monitored and taken for bathroom breaks every few hours. A new puppy is going to need a lot of exercise, social interaction, company, and stimulation; if you have a full-time job, you are going to need help from a pet-sitter or doggie day care the first few months.

Puppy Potty Training

From time to time a puppy will just have to be home alone. This will teach them a certain degree of self-reliance and being ok with themselves. We understand that people have varying schedules, so having a home-alone puppy is something that most new pet owners will have to deal with.

As a general rule of thumb, an adult dog will need to pee between 3-5 times a day; however, a puppy will have to go to the bathroom many more times than that! Here is a list of the average amount a new puppy will pee based on their age:

10 weeks or less: one hour is pushing it. At this age, you can’t leave a puppy in their crate for very long, and it sometimes is not even recommended to start crate training until after this period. Be prepared to have someone take your puppy out at least once every hour.

10-12 weeks: two hours seems to be the longest at this age.

3-6 months: at this point, we have a one-month-per-hour rule. So, if your puppy is 3 months old, they should be going out every 3 hours, regardless of whether or not it looks like they have to pee.

6 months +: at this point you can treat an older puppy like an adult dog. Generally, your puppy is going to pee, on average, every 5-6 hours. A dog door or pet sitter is still a good idea if you work full-time and can’t come home for lunch.

Your own puppy’s individual bathroom time will ultimately depend on many variables, such as their health, habits, amount of water they drink, and their size. Holding urine is uncomfortable and can put the puppy at risk for a UTI, so be careful!

Puppy Crate Training

Start out slow with the crate training. Your puppy should learn that their crate is a safe place and not a prison. As your puppy becomes more comfortable with the crate, you can gradually increase the amount of time that they spend in the crate. Try throwing some treats and toys into the crate to make them feel comfortable. Try this time chart on for size:

10 weeks or less: 30-60 minutes

10-14 weeks: 1-03 hours

14-16 weeks: 3-5 hours

17+: 4-5 hours

Try not to always resort to crate training if your puppy is misbehaving. Crate training is a short-term solution and dogs always need daily human interaction and exercise. Going outdoors every day is a good idea and often necessary to maintain your puppy’s good standard of health.

Your puppy will be able to spend more time home-alone the older they get. However, during the first few months, a puppy is going to need a lot of individualized attention and care.